Task: Answer questions explaining the research process and findings from assigned empirical articles. The purpose of these assignments is to help students understand different ways of conducting research and the types of knowledge qualitative and quantitative research can generate.
Instructions: Read one set of articles. Each set includes one qualitative article and one quantitative article (two articles in total). Each set addresses a related population or social issue. Note: You will use the set (two articles) for the three steps of the written assignment. Use the articles from the set and apply those articles to answer the questions.
PART 1: Evidence-based Practice
For both articles in the set you select, describe the following:
1. What was the researchers’ purpose in conducting the study? Why was the study significant for social work practice? Write my Essay Online Writing Service with Professional Essay Writers – Explain how each article in the set can contribute to evidence-based practice and social workers’ knowledge of working with this population.
2. For the qualitative study, describe the benefits of using a qualitative method given the researchers’ purpose. For the quantitative study, describe the benefits of using a quantitative method given the researchers’ purpose. That is, why did the method (qualitative or quantitative) make sense to answer the researchers’ questions?
3. How can the qualitative research and the quantitative findings about this topic complement each other for our understanding of this problem and population?
PART 2: Problem Formulation and Study Design
1. For the quantitative research article, explain if it was a true experiment, quasi-experimental, or non-experimental design and how you know that. How does that design fit with the study’s purpose?
2. For the quantitative article, identify the null and alternative hypotheses. Also, describe the outcome that the researchers were studying (the dependent variable(s)). Describe the factors (independent variables) that the researchers thought would affect the outcome. What is the hypothesized relationship between the variables?
3. For the qualitative article, explain how the researchers thought the various factors under consideration might affect each other or interact.
PART 3: Sampling, data collection, and interpretation of findings
1. For each article, describe the study’s sample. How does the sample meet the study’s purpose?
2. For each article, explain how the researchers collected the data (data collection technique). Why did that data collection technique fit with the purpose of the study?
3. For each article, describe the findings. Based on the data gathered, what evidence do the researchers have to answer their research questions?
4. Connect the evidence from each study to social work practice. Answer the “So what?” question. Based on the findings in each study, identify one change you would make in your practice if you were working with this problem or population.
